Terron Armstead Undecided On Playing In 2024; Dolphins, G Robert Hunt Discussed Extension
Terron Armstead is tied to a five-year, $75MM contract, but the Dolphins do not yet have assurances their Pro Bowl left tackle will come back for a third year in Miami. Armstead stopped short of guaranteeing he would return in 2024.
The 11-year veteran said he remains in pursuit of a Super Bowl ring but added (via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Beasley) he would not push his body beyond its limits. Armstead has remained an effective tackle when available, but the ex-Saints mainstay has continued to deal with various injuries since changing teams in 2022.
Armstead, 32, missed seven games this season and four games in 2022. He has never played 16 games in a season and has missed 59 contests over the course of his career. Armstead landed on IR due to a knee injury and dealt with multiple knee maladies during his second year in Miami. He later missed time because of quad trouble. Last year, myriad maladies affected Armstead, though he was still effective for a Dolphins team that closed the season with its third-string quarterback (Skylar Thompson) making starts.
While Tua Tagovailoa made it through this season healthy, the Dolphins were forced to use several O-line combinations to account for injuries to all five starters at points. Left guard Isaiah Wynn and center Connor Williams suffered season-ending injuries, and Armstead joined right guard Robert Hunt in missing seven games.
Armstead and right tackle Austin Jackson are locked up through 2026, with the team’s right tackle signing a $12MM-per-year extension late in the season. Armstead is due a $13.25MM base salary in 2024. Neither tackle’s pact puts him in the top 10 at his respective position, giving the Dolphins good value. Due to the $19MM-plus in prorated bonus money on Miami’s books through 2026, Armstead retiring would be costly for the Dolphins. But we appear a ways away from the five-time Pro Bowler making a decision.
Hunt and Williams are both due for free agency in March. Dolphins GM Chris Grier praised Williams, who angled for a new contract this past offseason, but stopped short of indicating the center — who played out a two-year, $14MM deal — was a priority to retain. Williams suffering an early-December ACL tear will damage his free agency value. Hunt does appear higher on Miami’s priority list. Grier said the team discussed an extension with the talented guard during the season.
As of September, no Hunt discussions had taken place. But it appears the Dolphins are interested in having three O-linemen on veteran accords. A nagging hamstring injury caused Hunt, 27, to miss nearly half the season. But the three-year guard starter has been effective when healthy; he would be one of the top O-linemen available in free agency. Grier pointed to Hunt hitting the market but indicated the team still wants him back.
“I’m happy for Rob. He got back at the end of the year for us,” Grier said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson). “Rob has earned the right to be a free agent; we had a conversation with him during the season. We’ll see what happens. We would like him to be here.”
Hunt stands to join Jonah Jackson (Lions), Damien Lewis (Seahawks) and Ezra Cleveland (Jaguars) as key first-time free agents at guard, with guard/tackle Michael Onwenu (Patriots) also profiling as an option for teams in need of interior help. It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins’ Jackson contract — agreed to in December — affects the team’s interest in paying Hunt market value.
Seahawks Request HC Interviews With Dan Quinn, Frank Smith, Ejiro Evero, Raheem Morris
Dan Quinn came up as the first known candidate to replace Pete Carroll in Seattle. The ex-Carroll lieutenant will indeed land on the Seahawks’ request list.
The Seahawks sent out a slip to the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Quinn, 53, enjoyed multiple stints in Seattle, the second of which coming when he spent both Super Bowl seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator in the 2010s. While Quinn’s Dallas defense disappointed Sunday, he is now likely to conduct HC interviews with at least five teams.
[RELATED: 2024 Head Coaching Search Tracker]
The former Falcons HC has been a popular name on the interview circuit for three years now. After Quinn bowed out of the 2023 interview process early, he appears set to stay on this year’s carousel longer. Quinn has been Dallas’ DC for three seasons, though it will be interesting to see how the organization handles the Mike McCarthy situation following the Packers’ runaway win.
Dolphins OC Frank Smith and Panthers DC Ejiro Evero have also received an interview request from the Seahawks, Pelissero adds. Smith has been Mike McDaniel‘s OC in Miami for the past two seasons. McDaniel and Smith’s offense fared miserably Saturday night in frigid Kansas City, but the team turned a corner under McDaniel. The Seahawks join the Panthers in showing interest in McDaniel’s right-hand man on offense.
Evero has been a coveted HC candidate despite spending his two DC years on bad teams. Evero’s defenses outshined the offenses in Denver last season and in Carolina recently, and he has now secured interview requests from the Falcons and Seahawks — in addition to his Panthers meeting.
This fast-moving process also includes Raheem Morris, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Morris has spent the past three seasons in the NFC West, working as the Rams’ DC. He joins Quinn in bringing HC experience to the table, having coached the Buccaneers for three seasons and having served as the Falcons’ interim coach following Quinn’s 2020 ouster. Morris spent six seasons on Quinn’s Atlanta staff, serving in myriad capacities.
A usual-suspects list thus far, the Seahawks are jumping onto the HC carousel a bit later. They reassigned Carroll to an undetermined role, in what amounts to a firing due to the 14-year HC making a case to keep his job, and it is unknown if the longtime leader, who is 72, will coach again. But longtime Carroll leadership partner John Schneider is steering the ship right now; the GM will be likely to explore a reunion with Quinn, who helmed the Seahawks to back-to-back first-place finishes in scoring defense from 2013-14. He parlayed that into a Falcons HC gig, which started to go south following the Super Bowl LI collapse. Quinn has rebuilt his stock in Dallas, though it will be interesting to see how Sunday’s shocking loss affects his chances of securing a second HC position. Quinn initially worked in Seattle from 2009-10, being hired by Jim Mora Jr. and then retained by Carroll as D-line coach.
Evero, 43, worked with Morris in 2021 while also working alongside OC Shane Waldron with the Rams in prior years. Waldron, however, is far from guaranteed to stay. The Seahawks have greenlit a Waldron Bears OC interview. As for Evero, he has garnered respect for his work to keep the 2022 Broncos in games — during their mess of a season under Nathaniel Hackett — and his Panthers defense ranked fourth in yards allowed. DVOA was less kind to Evero’s defense (25th), but eight teams over the past two years have sought HC interviews.
Miami’s offense ranked second in scoring and first in yardage, but the frontrunning label and the team’s struggles against quality opposition will be inescapable after the egg the team laid against the Chiefs. It will be interesting to see if Smith, 42, garners serious consideration in the wake of Miami’s inconsistent season. Morris, 47, is 21-38 as a head coach. But he was just 32 when he landed the Bucs’ top job in 2009. Morris is now best known for collecting a Super Bowl ring as the Rams’ DC. He did well to develop some Aaron Donald pass-rushing sidekicks this year, in third-round picks Byron Young and Kobie Turner.
It should be expected Ravens DC Mike Macdonald will receive a request; the two-year Baltimore defensive boss joined Quinn in early rumors pertaining to the Seahawks’ HC gig. Teams are already interviewing candidates virtually, and Quinn has four Zoom meetings scheduled for this week. No in-person interviews can occur until the divisional round concludes, marking a delay from the NFL’s usual schedule.
Giants Request DC Interviews With Derrick Ansley, Anthony Campanile
Derrick Ansley‘s season in charge of the Chargers’ defense changed following Brandon Staley‘s late-season ouster, giving the veteran assistant some play-calling experience. Shortly after, he is drawing attention elsewhere.
The Giants requested permission to meet with Ansley about their DC job Monday, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Although Ansley secured the Bolts’ DC gig last year, this profiles as his first outside interview request for a coordinator role.
Ansley and Brian Daboll coached on the Alabama staff together in 2017. Ansley also coached Giants safety Xavier McKinney in college. Although McKinney is due for free agency, the Giants will discuss a second contract.
Ansley joins fellow Giants DC candidate as an incumbent coordinator in a likely transition. Following Mike Vrabel‘s firing, Titans DC Shane Bowen is also on the Giants’ radar. Like Bowen, it is unlikely Ansley will be asked back by his current team. The Giants are seeking a replacement for Don Martindale, whose two-year Giants tenure ended in explosive fashion last week. Considering the friction that developed between Daboll and Martindale, it would not surprise if the two-year Giants HC went with familiarity this time around. Ansley would supply that.
The Bolts promoted Ansley to replace two-year DC Renaldo Hill, who left to rejoin Vic Fangio in Miami during the 2023 coaching carousel. This left the team with two new coordinators, Ansley and Kellen Moore. While Moore received a chance to interview for Staley’s old job, the Chargers have not interviewed Ansley. The Chargers ranked 24th defensively but 17th against the pass last season. Under Ansley’s guidance, Derwin James bounced back from two major injuries to book Pro Bowl nods from 2021-22.
Prior to his ascent to the DC chair in Los Angeles, Ansley spent two seasons as the Chargers’ DBs coach. Ansley, 42, coached the Raiders’ DBs in 2018 but spent the 2019 and ’20 seasons as the Tennessee Volunteers’ DC. Also collecting multiple national championship rings while at Alabama — most notably as the Crimson Tide’s DBs coach from 2016-17, the latter season coming with Daboll in place as Nick Saban’s OC — Ansley has 15 years’ experience in the college ranks.
Additionally, Big Blue is hoping to meet with Dolphins linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Campanile has been Miami’s LBs coach since 2020, with Fangio keeping the Josh Boyer holdover on staff. Campanile’s previous work came exclusively at the college level.
Campanile, 41, spent the 2019 season on Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan staff, as linebackers coach, after rising to the role of co-defensive coordinator at Boston College in 2018. Campanile also coached defensive backs, tight ends and wide receivers as a college assistant, spending time at Rutgers before moving to Boston. Due to their Bills past, Daboll and Joe Schoen have a degree of familiarity with Campanile.
Campanile joins three others as Giants DC interview hopefuls. Here is how the Giants’ DC search is shaping up:
- Derrick Ansley, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Interview requested
- Shane Bowen, defensive coordinator (Titans): To interview
- Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interview requested
- Dennard Wilson, defensive backs coach (Ravens): To interview
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/13/24
Today’s transactions and callups for the Saturday night and Sunday games:
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: LB Malik Jefferson, LB Buddy Johnson
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: CB David Long
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: NT Mike Pennel, CB Keith Taylor
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: LB Olakunle Fatukasi
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: CB Ethan Bonner, LB Malik Reed
The three-game limit for practice squad players to be elevated under a single contract is reset in the playoffs, allowing players who weren’t able to be activated anymore by the end of the year to return in the coming weeks.
Packers starting cornerback Jaire Alexander injured his ankle this week in practice, leading to his current questionable status. Long will be elevated to provide some depth in the off chance that Alexander is unable to go versus the Cowboys.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/10/24
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Reverted to IR: T Luke Tenuta
Miami Dolphins
- Signed from practice squad: OLB Melvin Ingram
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Restored to roster from suspension: S Damontae Kazee
- Placed on IR: S Trenton Thompson
The Dolphins now have an all-30-something set of pass rushers set to pressure Patrick Mahomes on Saturday. Three of them — Ingram, Justin Houston, Bruce Irvin — were not with the team going into December. Ingram rejoined the Dolphins last month and has played in three games as a practice squad elevation. The 34-year-old edge rusher saw his season snap share spike following the injuries to Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel. Ingram played 58 defensive plays against the Bills.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/24
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to one-year extension: T Devin Cochran
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: LB Jerome Baker, LB Cameron Goode, LB Andrew Van Ginkel (story)
Dealing with a gutted edge-rushing corps, the Dolphins signed three veterans on Tuesday. They added Justin Houston, Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed. These three join Emmanuel Ogbah and Melvin Ingram as notable edge rushers healthy for the AFC’s No. 6 seed.
Dolphins To Sign Bruce Irvin, Malik Reed
Down their top three edge rushers due to season-ending injuries, the Dolphins are overhauling their outside linebacker group at an unusual time. Following the Justin Houston addition Tuesday morning, Miami will add two more edge defenders.
Bruce Irvin is signing with the Dolphins, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who adds the team will also bring back Malik Reed. The latter, a former Vic Fangio piece in Denver, had spent time with Miami earlier this year. Irvin will be added to Miami’s 53-man roster; Reed will join the practice squad.
Since Thanksgiving, the Dolphins have lost Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel. This situation reminds of Fangio’s Broncos tenure, which almost never featured Chubb and Von Miller available together. Those Denver teams never advanced to the playoffs, though. The Dolphins are facing a rare situation as they venture into the wild-card round. On the edge at least, the 11-6 team will roll out a cast of 30-somethings to pressure Patrick Mahomes on Saturday.
This is team No. 7 for Irvin, who resumed his career as a Lions auxiliary pass rusher this season. Irvin, 36, signed with the Lions’ practice squad in November and played in two games. The former Seahawks first-rounder registered a sack while playing as a P-squad elevation. The Lions moved on in December. Like Houston, Irvin cleared waivers and has been waiting for another chance. The Dolphins’ unique quandary will provide it.
Irvin has made a habit of in-season arrivals in the final years of his career. The 12th-year veteran joined the Bears in mid-November 2021 and re-signed with the Seahawks in mid-October 2022. Irvin and Fangio have not previously crossed paths, but the former did play under Fangio disciple Clint Hurtt in Seattle last season. Irvin also has a history of excelling as a rental piece. He totaled 8.5 sacks for the Panthers in 2019 and collected 3.5 in eight Falcons games in 2018. The Dolphins may well need Irvin, as rookie backup Cameron Goode suffered a torn patellar tendon during what became a brutal night for the team in Week 18.
A Fangio charge for three seasons in Denver, Reed reunited with his former coach in March. But the Dolphins released Reed just before cutting their roster to 53 players in August. He spent time with the Raiders this season, playing in four games and starting two. A Miller-Chubb sub in Denver, Reed totaled 13 sacks between the 2020 and ’21 seasons.
Reed, 27, certainly will represent youth on what is now one of the older OLB crews in recent NFL history. Houston and the recently re-signed Melvin Ingram are 34, while Emmanuel Ogbah — whom Fangio benched this season — is 30. While obviously not an ideal setup going into a playoff game against a defending Super Bowl champion, the Dolphins have gotten creative during this time of need.
Dolphins, Justin Houston Agree To Deal
In need of help along the edge, the Dolphins are making an addition ahead of the postseason. Justin Houston has agreed to a deal with Miami, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. 
The Dolphins have lost both Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb to Achilles and ACL tears, respectively. Those injuries have dealt a major blow to the team’s edge group, but further injury troubles have emerged in the front seven as well. Andrew Van Ginkel is likely out for the remainder of the year (as is also the case for Jerome Baker). Houston will provide depth in time for the wild-card round.
The latter should have a rotational role available right away behind Emmanuel Ogbah and Melvin Ingram. Houston has been a free agent since his underwhelming Panthers tenure came to an end last month. Carolina waived him after he was limited to just seven games through injury. During that time, he posted only 0.5 sacks.
Houston had a strong two-year stint with the Ravens from 2021-22. In the latter campaign in particular, he proved a continued ability to serve as a disruptive pass-rush presence by posting a team-leading 9.5 sacks. Baltimore elected not to retain the 34-year-old in the offseason, however, eventually adding Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy to hold notable roles on the edge. Houston logged a 41% snap share in his brief Carolina stint, so he could be poised for a signficant rotational presence from the jump.
The four-time Pro Bowler landed a $6MM deal with the Panthers in the offseason, but his free agent stock has obviously taken a sharp downturn given the way the 2023 season has played out. In the event he were to prove effective in the playoffs with Miami, though, he could rebuild his value to an extent. Doing so with the Dolphins could prove beneficial to team and player.
After leading the AFC East for much of the campaign, Miami lost the top spot in the division by losing the final game of the regular season slate to Buffalo. The Dolphins are set to visit the Chiefs in the opening round of the playoffs as a result, and injuries on both sides of the ball will be a major talking point in advance of the contest. With Houston in place, however, Miami will at least have signficant experience available in the team’s re-tooled edge group.
Panthers Request HC Interviews With Mike Macdonald, Raheem Morris, Dan Quinn, Frank Smith
We’ve got four more candidates to add to the Panthers head coaching search. The Panthers have announced that they’ve requested interviews with nine head coaching candidates, with four new names joining our list:
- Mike Macdonald, Ravens defensive coordinator
- Raheem Morris, Rams defensive coordinator
- Dan Quinn, Cowboys defensive coordinator
- Frank Smith, Dolphins offensive coordinator
These four coaches join a growing list of candidates, a grouping that also includes Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, and Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
Macdonald joins his offensive counterpart in Baltimore in interviewing for the open Carolina gig. The second-year Ravens DC helped guide the NFL’s top-scoring defense in 2023. Macdonald also managed to squeeze unexpected production from his pass rushers; despite Kyle Van Noy signing in September and Jadeveon Clowney catching on late in the summer, the duo combined for 18.5 sacks this past season. The Commanders have already requested an interview with Macdonald for their head coaching vacancy.
Morris also got an interview from the Commanders, the organization in which he served as the secondary coach between 2012 and 2014. Morris has spent the past three seasons as the Rams defensive coordinator, and he’s been a popular name on the interview circuit in recent years. He interviewed twice for the Vikings job in 2022, and he was linked to the Broncos and Colts gigs in 2023. Morris is seeking his second head coaching job after leading the way in Tampa Bay between 2009 and 2011.
After withdrawing from head coaching interest in each of the past two offseasons, we heard recently that Quinn is now believed to be “more receptive to the right offer.”After a hot start to his Falcons head coaching tenure, Quinn was fired in 2020 following two-straight 7-9 campaigns and an 0-5 start to the 2020 season. He’s spent the past three seasons as the Cowboys defensive coordinator, overseeing a unit that’s finished top-five in points allowed and top-10 in yards allowed each season.
This is the first job that Smith has been connected to, although we previously heard that the Dolphins offensive coordinator was expected to generate some head coaching interest. Smith and head coach Mike McDaniel finally saw their offensive vision come to fruition in 2023, with the unit finishing second in points scored and first in yards. Both the passing offense and rushing offense have taken off this season, making Smith an intriguing candidate regardless of personnel.
Dolphins’ Jerome Baker, Andrew Van Ginkel Likely Done For Season
Already down Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb for the season, the Dolphins continue to run into brutal injury luck on their front seven. Injuries to Jerome Baker and Andrew Van Ginkel on Sunday night appear likely to be season-enders.
Just activated from IR ahead of Week 18, Baker sustained a wrist injury for which he has already undergone surgery. The sixth-year linebacker is out for the Chiefs matchup and likely the rest of the playoffs, according to NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe. Van Ginkel, who has played a key role since Phillips’ injury, is also likely done for the season due to the foot injury that forced him out of Sunday’s night’s game.
In addition to these adjustments DC Vic Fangio will need to make, Mike McDaniel said the team is not expected to have Xavien Howard back against the Chiefs. Additionally, backup edge rusher Cameron Goode suffered a torn patellar tendon in the loss to the Bills and will miss the season, McDaniel said.
In the event Miami’s defensive personnel turns this into a shootout — a less common occurrence with this Chiefs edition compared to previous Patrick Mahomes-piloted teams — McDaniel said (via Wolfe) Jaylen Waddle and Raheem Mostert are looking more likely to return to action Saturday night. Waddle has missed the past two games with a high ankle sprain, while Mostert — the NFL’s touchdown leader, with 21 — missed Weeks 17 and 18 with knee and ankle trouble.
Still, Fangio’s troops are depleted to a point the defense will look quite different even from the shorthanded crew that took the field against the Bills. Goode’s injury left the Dolphins with Emmanuel Ogbah and Melvin Ingram on the edge. Fangio had benched the former early this season, and the Dolphins only re-signed the latter in December. The team used Ingram as a practice squad elevation in Week 18, doing so not long after cutting Jason Pierre-Paul. It would be interesting if the Dolphins reached out to JPP in this emergency circumstance. Miami still has quality personnel inside, in Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler, but its OLB setup has been gutted.
Van Ginkel has been effective as both a rotational rusher and a starter this season, notching a career-high six sacks along with 19 QB hits. He also posted a pick-six against the Commanders. Baker battled back from an MCL sprain; the Dolphins had used their final IR activation on their middle linebacker last week. A seventh-round pick, Goode played only 76 defensive snaps this season.